By Robyn Jackson
At the 2008 National Association of College and University Residence Hall Conference he University of Northern Colorado received the Commitment to Diversity Award. A forty page bid was written by members of the Resident Hall Association at the University of Northern Colorado where they highlighted various organizations, programs held by cultural center, resident halls, professors, and other members of the UNC community. This bid showcases many events that have occurred at UNC during the past years such as the first featured African American playwright and predominantly African American cast in the award-winning play “Crumbs from the Table of Joy.” Nagin Farsard a Muslim standup comedian that uses humor to educate on Muslim culture and feminism. Sally McBeth’s an Anthropology professor gave multiple presentations on the Burmese struggle, where Nya Na gave a powerful account of his experiences during the 2007 Buddhist Monk uprising.
A Diversity Award for a year worth of work dedicated to diversity. The question is do we deserve such an award. The struggles that many organizations on campus have been facing do not reflect the positive outlook of this award. The bid highlights the Jena “6” Forum that was held by the Summit Organizing Committee, but when the organization requested support from the Student Representative Council they refused their support because of the high controversy of the topic and fears of the forum starting an uprising. The brief description of the forum is not entirely accurate due to small inconsistencies in the facts, which brings up the question if the university takes these important current events seriously. From the lack of support that the university gave to the forum should they have the right to use the Summit Organizing Committees work as a way to win an award? Awards should be won when deserved and the university does not deserve to take credit for an event that they do not support.
The bid also highlights Cultural Center events such as Africana Night, which is one the Marcus Garvey’s largest events for Black History Month. The bid states that this is one of the most highly attended events on the Northern Colorado campus.
the most with support and funding from the university.
Kay Norton had a yearly diversity meeting with a group of students were she asks various question about the students success and involvement on the campus. Members of the Summit Organization Committee have personally spoken with A page is devoted to the Summit Organizing Committee titled “Faculty Dedication” highlighting their mission statement, call for action, definition of social just and diversity, and their hard work. The section does a good job giving a positive representation of this organization, but there are flaws. The claim that the organization is organized by College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, which is false it is ran by the Northern Colorado students and faculty. It is correct that the students have requested support for this college, but all credit is due to the students that attend each meeting and dedicate themselves to the cause of social justice and diversity. A piece of information that draws questions about where the information is obtains is about Summit members attending classes to educate students about the topics of education and diversity. This is an ongoing project that members have worked on but not public record, which draws questions about who has written this article. The brief description about the Jena “6” forum obtains false information. There are small, but important in-accuracies that show that the person or persons that have written this bid have received this information from sources that are not members of the Summit Organizing Committee or anyone connected with Diversity on this campus.
When viewing the false information that assisted the Uni-versity of Northern Colorado to win an award on diversity the question arises if they truly deserve such an award? The university has won an award based upon false information giving credit to wrong organizations, and giving false information about events that the university did not support. When walking from Central Campus to West Campus what type of diversity do you see? The university has made minimal attempts to increase diversity, by not supporting organization such as The Summit Organizing Committee and attempting to cut funding from the Cultural Centers that house other organizations. This university does not deserve credit for the hard work of others, when the people like Kay Norton slam doors in their faces. The only award that this university deserves is on writing a document of lies.
Islamic workers walked off the work sight of Greeley, Colorado’s JBS Swift &Co. because of the refusal of Swift to give the people adequate prayer breaks. Meanwhile, a DVD in circulation all over the nation strikes fear into the heart of many; including residents of UNC, and the greater Greeley. There are several differing viewpoints on these issues and their connection to other events such as 9/11 and the presidential race.
In Greeley’s JBS Swift & Co. plant, over one-hundred twenty people have been fired after disputes on prayer breaks. While this dispute may be a matter of “life or death” for some people, others believe that Muslims should learn to be flexible. Some say that every other group that comes to the United States has a slightly different angle on culture and should learn to assimilate to the majority; without this assimilation, the likelihood of acceptance by a greater American public is unlikely. Other workers at Swift are also in upset over the Muslims request for further break time past what is typically given. At a recent protest of the Non-Muslims against the Muslims, the Muslims were depicted as running the plant and giving orders to upper authorities as to when they will leave work. Non-Muslims are saying that they are forced to pick up the slack for the sudden absence of these workers. Others are worried that they are overly stressed which creates a very dangerous situation for the remaining.
Many Greeley residents, and students all over campus have undoubtedly noted the four hundred (plus) refugees who have arrived from Somali to take jobs at JBS Swift & Co. Many do not know what to make of the people of a nation that is liked to September 11, and other violent acts across the world.
On a larger scale, a DVD entitled “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West”, is in circulation all over the nation. Several UNC students have even received a copy in their mailboxes, including students of Wilson hall and Presidents row, on campus. Greeley residents are outraged about this saying that it is a piece of “neo-con propaganda”. Many believe that this was produced to instill fear in the hearts of several Non-Muslim people, and to spread hatred among Americans. The DVD information sa ys the content of this video is supposed to educate people on the threat of radical Islam; it also includes the fact that neither Obama nor McCain have addressed the issue in an open manner. So far, over twenty-eight million of these DVD’s have been distributed; plus, they have ads for it in over seventy newspapers ranging from the Greeley Tribune to the New York Times.
For every thousand people, there is at least one or two who believe this production is not as radical as people are making it out to be. One professor at CSU is even using this in his class about Middle Eastern history. He says it is a straightforward look at the radical culture of the Muslims. The video allegedly explains frightening concepts (such as the belief that there should be no other religion other than the Muslim religion, and the imposition of their will on everyone else) however; the video dismisses it as a mindset that the west is out to destroy their culture. Apparently, this is a reason for the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
The Summit Organizing Committee is a campus organization dedicated to raising awareness about social injustice and inequality that occurs on UNC’s campus and beyond. Every year in April, the Summit Organizing Committee hosts our Annual Summit on Social Justice and Diversity. This is a day of panels, forums, paper presentations, art, and poetry and more; all centered on a central theme. The SOC uses the Summit as a means of bringing to light issues that may have been swept under the rug but deserve to be spoken about candidly. Moreover, throughout the year SOC hosts panel discussions and forums on issues from Immigration to up and coming ballot issues in this year’s presidential election. Also, one of our newest events which is going to become an annual event is our ‘Taste of the World.’ The ‘Taste of the World’ is an afternoon filled with food and activities from all of the cultural centers and groups on campus. We held the first ‘Taste of the World’ last March, and it is our hope that this year’s event will be an even greater success. This year, we the SOC are planning new events and expanding old ones in order to make our presence felt on this campus. If you are passionate about bringing social justice and diversity to our campus, and bringing to light issues that affect our world as a whole then join the SOC and help us to continue to do great things.
The Summit Spark is an outgrowth of the Summit Organizing Committee, another mechanism poised to bring awareness to our campus community. Martin Luther King Jr. said that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and decades later, we are still living in an unjust world. The Summit Spark seeks to be a vehicle of truth, no matter how hard that truth may be to see in print. So, while it is easier to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the wrongs that confront us daily, the Summit Spark is here to urge the masses to dig their heads out of the sand and speak up. Political affiliations are not important when the truth at large is either distorted or withheld from the citizens of a nation, and the world as a whole. The Summit Spark wishes to give new voice, a clear voice that isn’t afraid to talk about the real issues that plague our campus, our city and beyond. Whether or not you agree or disagree with the stance we take is not the point, that point is that you’ve had an opportunity to hear the truth and see the world from an honest point of view.
Letisha Brown, Summit Organizing Committee President
From the Stayy by Kristin Garst
This newsletter is written by students in the Summit Organizing Committee for the Greeley population about the very real issues of the culture that we live in. We (the staff) want to expose these issues and stand up for what is right. Thank you so much for listening to our words and becoming aware of the issues that plague our community every day. We hope you enjoyed our October issue focused on local diversity; we look forward to writing our November issue on Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. Again, Thanks to our readers!
Greeley and Somalia, They have more in Common Thank You Think!
As many of us in the Greeley community know, the landscape has changed a bit. If you remember the Swift Meat Packing Raids in December 2006. What many of us couldn’t see was the numbers of Somalian immigrants coming to replace the workers that were detained. It is not uncommon for Meat Packing Plants to rely on immigrant labor. It is cheap and for the most part comes without hassle. The workers are immigrants, so the last thing they want to do is get deported. If they complain about the job that is providing and putting food on their table, the employer can just always threaten to fire them or report them to the government.
What many people don’t know is that the influx of Somalian immigrants that are here now in Greeley is not an uncommon trend. Many of the Somolians that are here have been in the States for at least 1-3 years and have experience working in plants and factories. Every day, 20 or 30 people are coming to get started at Swift, maybe 15 (a day). It depends on how they get the job” (Ibraham Mohamed, Greeley casework for Lutheran Family Services). Many of the new Somalian immigrants come to Colorado because word of “mouth from family and friends informs them of job opportunities.
The other reason why many of them have flocked to Greeley is the opportunity for them to achieve an education. AIMS Community College is working with Somalian immigrants to work on their English and prepare them for taking classes.
Alan Hendrickson is one the people in the community who is trying to help. He is the director of International Programs at AIMS. “Hendrickson has helped several Somali’s enroll in English grammar and other classes. He also makes sure they can squeeze the costs of college into their budget” (Greeley Tribune). The immigrants look at the opportunity to improve upon their futures entirely. “That’s why they’re here, because they want to improve, and we want to help them” (Alan Hendrickson, Greeley Tribune).
There are many in the community who are curious about the new comers to the community. For them it is an opportunity to learn more about a culture unfamiliar to theirs. For others it creates tension and worries about the education system and job opportunities. If you consider that the majority of the people who work at Swift are either Latino or part of the working class, having new people come into the plant makes some feel unsure about their position at the plant. Some in education are worried as to how to bridge the gap so that the children can learn and be able to have the same opportunities for school as all the other children of the community.
Efforts by many are being made to help ease the transition and create self-sufficiency for the immigrants. The worst thing that people can do is discriminate and judge out of prejudice. Please keep an eye on the Summit Spark for information about the Greeley Community.
Voice of the Revolution: Poetry
An Anthem by Sonia Sanchez
Our vision is our voice
we cut through the country
where madmen goosestep in tune to Guernica.
we are people made of fire
we walk with ceremonial breaths
we have condemned talking mouths.
we run without legs
we see without eyes
loud laughter breaks over our heads.
give me courage so I can spread
it over my face and mouth.
we are secret rivers
with shaking hips and crests
come awake in our thunder
so that our eyes can see behind trees.
for the world is split wide open
and you hide your hands behind your backs
for the world is broken into little pieces
and you beg with tin cups for life.
are we not more than hunger and music?
are we not more than harlequins and horns?
are we not more than color and drums?
are we not more than anger and dance?
give me courage so I can spread it
over my face and mouth.
we are the shakers
walking from top to bottom in a day
we are like Shango
involving ourselves in acts
that bring life to the middle
of our stomachs
we are coming towards you madmen
shredding your death talk
standing in front with mornings around our waist
we have inherited our prayers from
the rain
our eyes from the children of Soweto.
red rain pours over the land
and our fire mixes with the water.
give me courage so I can spread
it over my face and mouth.
From UNDER A SOPRANO SKY (African World Press, 1987)
CHOICES – Nikki Giovanni
if i can't do
what i want to do
then my job is to not
do what i don't want
to do
it's not the same thing
but it's the best i can
do
if i can't have
what i want . . . then
my job is to want
what i've got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more to want
since i can't go
where i need
to go . . . then i must . . . go
where the signs point
through always understanding
parallel movement
isn't lateral
when i can't express
what i really feel
i practice feeling
what i can express
and none of it is equal
i know
but that's why mankind
alone among the animals
learns to cry
Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.
Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
--Martin Luther King
Land of Opportunity
Robyn Jackson
America has been founded on the idea of equal opportunities and having the opportunity to strive for a positive life and our model is “American Dream.” What happens if YOU cannot obtain that dream? American is known as the land of opportunity, yet not all opportunities are afforded to every person in America. This year marks a great year in history due to the presidential elections, and beyond those we have to look closely to the items on the ballet. Take the time and sit down and read about each ballet amendment and how it would directly affect you or the people around you.
One of the many important amendments on the 2008 ballot is Amendment 46 Discrimination and Preferential Treatment by Governments. This amendment is said to prohibit Colorado’s government from discriminating against others under the terms of preferential treatment. There definition of preferential treatment is programs that give exceptions to individuals based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
When reading the ballot information in the 2008 State Ballot Information Booklet it states, “various government programs and agencies in Colorado that target assistance to a particular race, gender, or ethnicity that may be affected by Amendment 46” Those programs that the speak of as “preferential treatment” are programs that we have on the UNC campus.
Upward Bound,
Center for Human Enrichment,
McNair Scholars Program,
This includes programs for men that test for prostate cancer or programs for women that assist with testing for breast cancer. With the large numbers of women dying from breast cancer each year taking away programs that assist with testing may increase the rates of women because many programs help locate early signs of cancer. The amendment states that men and women that need assistance in testing for cancer to reduce the mortality rates is “preferential treatment”, what do you feel about that?
This amendment has passed in three states; Michigan, Washington, and California. Many organizations have been fighting for and against this amendment. To gain a perspective of who has endorsed this amendment in Michigan the Ku Klux Klan has said yes to Amendment 46. What does it mean when organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan endorse an amendment?
MAKE A STAND FOR THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY SAY NO TO
AMENDMENT 46
For more information on the amendments on the 2008 ballot read your 2008 State Ballot Information Ballot, www.VoteNoAmendment46.com, and www.GoVoteColorado.com
Daniel Smith
If you are voting in the city of Greeley it is important for you to know the local candidates and a few initiative issues. Please remember that if you are not voting in the city of Greeley please remember to vote where you are registered and become educated on your candidates.
Your local candidates are as follows:
4th Congressional: Betsy Markey (D) and Representative Marilyn Musgrave (R)
State House 50: Scott Helman (R) and Representative Jim Reisberg (D)
Commissioner at-large: Sean Conway (R) and Debby Pilch (D)
Commission District 3: Barbara Kirkmeyer (R) and Tom Pettit (D)
County Council (advises the commissioners)
At-Large (2 year term)
Perry Buck and Nancy Teksten (non-partisan race)
At-Large (4 year term)
Jim Rohn, Troy Mellon, and Donald Mueller
County Council District 3
John Kivimaki
Initiatives:
There are 12 amendments (46-58) and there are a few that you should be made aware of:
46, abolishes preferential programs (see article at left)
47, abolishes required union membership
48., defines a person as human from the moment of conception
Referendum L, reduces the age of eligibility for the state legislature to 21
Please do not forget the U.S. Senate Race between Representative Mark Udall (D) and Republican former congressman Bob Shaffer (R)
Think about it
Dear Readers,
Even as this goes to print I think about the every- day social injustices right under our very noses. Where I live, there are two ladies who come with their small truck every Saturday afternoon and steal all our aluminum cans that are out for recycling. They are both very polite even though they are stealing and I never bother them. It is very funny that in the richest country in the world two people have to resort to something I’ve seen in the developing world on several occasions. In this same parking lot sits Mercedes, and Audis, very fancy foreign cars; yet two bodily capable women are either unemployed or under-employed and this is how they get extra money. Some people call it enterprise, I think it’s indicative of something else.
Sincerely your Editor-in-Chief,
Cameron Cowan
Quotable Quotables
Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny. ~Edmund Burke
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive. ~Earl Warren
Justice is open to everyone in the same way as the Ritz Hotel. ~Judge Sturgess
In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls. ~Lenny Bruce
Upcoming Diversity Events On Campus
In and Out GLBT conversation group, Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Columbine A and B, UC
Summit Organizing Committee, Every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Gov’t Publications in Michener.
Save Darfur Committee, Thursdays 6 p.m. At the Marcus Garvey Center
Expressions: A Night of Spoken Word, Panorama Room UC, October 30, 2008, 7 p.m.
Black Student Alliance, Mondays 6 p.m. At the Marcus Garvey Center
Black Women of Today, Wednesdays, 7 p.m. At the Marcus Garvey Center
Black Men of Today, Thursdays, At the Marcus Garvey Center
